Pressure regulator

ABSTRACT

A pressure regulator comprises a high-pressure chamber (2), and an atmospheric pressure chamber (3) having an opening (4) for controlled high-pressure (C), between which a diaphragm (5) is disposed having a sealing disc (6) resiliently movable in relation thereto, said diaphragm (5) selectively closing both an atmospheric pressure input port (8) and a through port (7) between high-pressure chamber (2) and atmospheric pressure chamber (3) in the sealing disc (6), and said sealing disc (6) being pressed towards the diaphragm (5) under the action of at least one spring (9). In order to permit a control of the high-pressure dependent on atmospheric pressure, for example of the boost pressure of a turbo charger for internal combustion engines, the pressure regulator has a bellow (11) responding to changes in the atmospheric pressure (A) for changing the bias of the spring (9) upon changing atmospheric pressure (A). The action of the bellow (11) on the spring bias is expediently adjustable.

The invention relates to a pressure regulator comprising a high-pressurechamber and an atmospheric pressure chamber having an opening forcontrolled high pressure, between which a diaphragm is disposed having asealing disc resiliently movable in relation thereto, said diaphragmselectively closing both an atmospheric pressure input port and athrough port between high-pressure chamber and atmospheric pressurechamber in the sealing disc and said sealing disc being pressed towardsthe diaphragm under the action of at least one spring.

In the control of turbo chargers for internal combustion engines, awaste gate valve is used, which is acted upon by the high-pressure(boost pressure) of the turbo charger and opens when a certain pressureis reached, so that the turbine operated by the waste gas pressurereceives a by-pass and hereby the number of revolutions and accordinglythe boost pressure does not further increase. In the case of lowatmospheric pressure in great altitudes, this results in the effect thatthe boost pressure is reduced in an undesirable manner, as the wastegate valve opens wider in this case than in the case of high barometricpressure.

The invention is based on the object of constructing a pressureregulator of the type described above which produces a controlledhigh-pressure in such a manner that the controlled high-pressure,especially a controlled boost pressure of a turbo charger, ispurposefully influenced dependent on changes in the atmospheric pressureand according to a pre-determined characteristic.

According to the invention, this object is solved in that the pressureregulator has means responding to changes in the atmospheric pressurefor increasing or decreasing, respectively, the bias of the spring uponsinking atmospheric pressure. In the case of a turbo charger forinternal combustion engines, this regulator is acted upon by thehigh-pressure of the turbo charger and delivers a controlled boostpressure to the waste gate valve which ensures that upon sinkingatmospheric pressure, especially in great altitudes, the boost pressurecannot drop in an undesirable manner.

The means responding to changes in the atmospheric pressure isadvantageously an aneroid bellow connected with the atmospheric pressureinput port and shifting same in relation to the sealing disc. In thisrespect, the, for example, tubular atmosphere input port is expedientlyadjustably mounted on the aneroid bellow in order to permit anadjustment of the response threshold of the pressure regulator.

The means responding to changes in atmospheric pressure can alsoadvantageously be an aneroid bellow connected with a counterspring,acting on the sealing disc and changing the bias thereof, wherebyaccording to a development of this embodiment of the invention, thecounterspring is adjustably connected with the aneroid bellow.

A further embodiment of the pressure regulator according to theinvention is characterized in that the means responding to changes inthe atmospheric pressure is a bellow in the high-pressure chamber, saidbellow being in communication with the sealing disc and acting contraryto the spring, and the interior thereof being open towards theatmosphere. In this respect, in the interior of the bellow acounterspring can be arranged, acting on the sealing disc, the bias ofsaid spring being expediently adjustable.

According to a further development of the pressure regulator of to theinvention, an electromagnet is disposed therein, via the armature ofwhich a force in the direction of action of the spring can be applied tothe sealing disc, resulting in an additional possibility for influencingthe controlled high-pressure delivered by the pressure regulator. It isa matter of course that in the event that the electromagnet is energizeddependent on atmospheric pressure, the means responding to changes inatmospheric pressure can also be omitted.

The electromagnet is expediently constructed for energization with apulsed current, whereby it can be used together with a digitalelectronic system.

The invention is explained in more detail in the following on the basisof embodiments and with reference to the drawings. In the drawings show

FIG. 1 a cross-section through an embodiment of the pressure regulatoraccording to the invention;

FIG. 2 a graphic representation of the controlled high-pressure versusthe high-pressure fed to the pressure regulator;

FIG. 3 a cross-section through a further embodiment of the pressureregulator according to the invention;

FIG. 4 a cross section through a third embodiment of the pressureregulator according to the invention, and

FIG. 5 a cross-section through a further embodiment of the pressureregulator according to the invention with an additional electromagnet.

The pressure regulator represented in FIG. 1 shows a housing 1 with ahigh-pressure chamber 2 and an atmospheric pressure chamber 3 having anopening 4 for controlled high-pressure. Between the high-pressurechamber 2 and the atmospheric pressure chamber 3, a diaphragm 5 isdisposed, with a sealing disc 6 resiliently movable in relation thereto.A through port 7 in the sealing disc 6 connects the high-pressurechamber 2 with the atmospheric pressure chamber 3. According to theposition of the sealing disc 6 with respect to the diaphragm 5, thethrough port 7 is opened or closed by the diaphragm 5. According to itsposition, the sealing disc 6 also closes a tubular atmospheric pressureinput port 8. A spring 9 in the form of a helical compression springpresses the sealing disc 6 towards the diaphragm 5. Via an opening 10, ahigh-pressure B, for example the boost pressure of a turbo charger, isfed to the pressure regulator.

The tubular atmospheric pressure input port 8 is adjustably screwed intothe bottom of an aneroid bellow 11 mounted in an air-tight manner on thebottom of the pressure regulator.

The pressure present in the atmospheric pressure chamber 3 is controlledas follows for delivering a controlled high-pressure C with the aid ofthe diaphragm 5 and the sealing disc 6:

Initially there is a slight high-pressure B in the high-pressure chamber2 on the diaphragm 5. The spring 9 presses the sealing disc 6 againstthe diaphragm 5 and against the housing 1. In this way, the atmosphericpressure chamber 3 is connected with the atmospheric pressure A via theopen atmospheric pressure input port 8. By increase of the high-pressureB, the diaphragm 5 is moved downwards against the tension of the spring9 and seals off the atmospheric pressure input port 8. At the same time,the seal opens between the sealing disc 6 and the diaphragm 5.Accordingly, high-pressure reaches the atmospheric pressure chamber 3and builds up a counterpressure on the bottom of the diaphragm 5 to anamount providing a balance of forces and leads to a closing of thethrough port 7 in the sealing disc 6 by the diaphragm 5. The controlledhigh-pressure C in the atmospheric pressure chamber 3 adjusts itself sothat it is equal to the high-pressure B less the spring tension,commencing with the pressure X resulting from the bias of spring 9,according to the diagram of FIG. 2.

The bottom of the aneroid bellow 11, which is evacuated or filled with adefined internal pressure, defines the position of the tubularatmospheric pressure input port 8 and is moved downwards in the event ofa reducing atmospheric pressure A, by relaxing the aneroid bellow 11.This results in a new position of the inner tube end of the atmosphericpressure input port 8, which means that to achieve the balance of forceson the diaphragm 5 a higher bias of the spring 9 needs to be overcome.This leads to the fact that the pressure X resulting from the biasincreases so that a reduced, controlled high-pressure C, correctedaccording to the atmospheric pressure A, is associated to everyhigh-pressure B.

The controlled high-pressure C is fed for example to the waste gatevalve of a turbo charger, whereby a stablilized boost pressure resultsin the case of a decreasing atmospheric pressure A, for example in greataltitudes.

In the embodiment of the pressure regulator according to the inventionrepresented in FIG. 3, the increase of the spring bias does not takeplace by a change in the position of the atmospheric pressure input port8, but rather a counterspring 12 acting on the sealing disc 6 contraryto the spring 9 is provided, also in the form of a helical compressionspring. The aneroid bellow 11 changes the bias of the counterspring 12here via a ram 13. The ram 13 is adjustably screwed into the bottom ofthe aneriod bellow 11 mounted on the upper side of the pressureregulator and movable via same.

In the embodiment of the pressure regulator according to the inventionshown in FIG. 4, instead of the aneroid bellow 11, a bellow 14 isprovided in the high-pressure chamber 2, said bellow 14 being inconnection with the sealing disc 6 and acting contrary to the spring 9,and the interior thereof being open towards the atmosphere. Inside thebellow 14 a counterspring 12 is further provided acting on the sealingdisc 6, the bias of which is said counterspring being adjustable.

As the interior of the bellow 14 is open towards the atmosphere, achange additionally occurs in the steepness of the diagram lines in FIG.2 by relieving the counterspring 12 via the bellow 14 by thehigh-pressure B, however, upon reduction of the atmospheric pressure Aas a result of differing barometric altitudes, a correction also takesplace in the respect that the lesser atmospheric pressure results in alesser bellow force on the sealing disc 6. An adjustment can beperformed by the adjustment screw 15, by means of which the bias of thecounter spring 12 is changed.

FIG. 5 shows a further embodiment of the pressure regulator according tothe invention, wherein additionally an electromagnet 16 with a coil 17,pole plates 18 and 19 and an armature 20 with ram 21 are provided in thepressure regulator. Upon energization of the electromagnet 16, a forceis applied to the sealing disc 6 in the direction of action of thespring 9, via which the controlled high-pressure C can be additionallyreduced, as the force exerted by the electromagnet 16 additionallyeffects the state of equilibrium of the system. It is a matter of coursethat the pressure regulator can also be operated without the aneroidbellow 11 if the electromagnet 16 is energized by an electronic systemresponding to changes in the atmospheric pressure. In order to be ableto use the electromagnets 16 with a digital electronic system, this isexpediently constructed for energization with a pulsed current.

The pressure regulator represented in FIG. 5 can also be provided with abellow 14 open towards the atmosphere according to the embodiment ofFIG. 4, instead of with an aneroid bellow 11.

I claim:
 1. An altitude compensating turbocharger controller for aninternal combustion engine, comprising:(a) a controller housing; (b) ananeroid bellows mounted to said housing; (c) a control valve assemblyhaving a pressure input for receiving a positive pressure signalindicative of an output pressure of a turbocharger, an atmosphericpressure port connected to ambient air pressure, a control pressureoutput port, and valving structure defining a differential pressureresponsive means including a diaphragm and associated sealing discmovable from a balanced position to alter communication between saidcontrol pressure port and one of said input and atmospheric pressureports to change the control pressure, said differential pressureresponsive means acted upon by differential pressure forces whosemagnitude varies depending on sensed changes in ambient atmosphericpressure and the signal pressure; (d) a force transmitting member fortransmitting force between said aneroid bellows and said differentialpressure responsive means; (e) said force transmitting member effectiveto transmit biasing forces generated by said bellows to saiddifferential pressure responsive means in response to sensed atmosphericpressure, said control pressure changing to produce a feedback pressureforce on said differential pressure responsive means to oppose saidbellows generated biasing force such that said diaphragm and sealingdisc are maintained at said balanced position to produce a staticcontrol pressure that is a function of sensed atmospheric pressure andthe output pressure of said turbocharger.
 2. The controller of claim 1wherein said force transmitting member comprises a spring acting on saidsealing disc.
 3. An altitude compensating turbocharger controller for aninternal combustion engine, comprising:(a) a controller housing; (b) ananeroid capsule mounted to said housing, said capsule expansible inresponse to a sensed change in ambient atmospheric pressure; (c) adifferential pressure responsive means including a diaphragm and sealingdisc assembly for controlling the communication of a positiveturbocharger output related signal pressure to a control pressure port,said differential pressure responsive means having one region exposed tosaid signal pressure and another region exposed to pressure at saidcontrol pressure port; (d) said assembly movable from a balancedposition at which said control pressure port is sealed from bothatmospheric pressure and the turbocharger output related signal pressureto a first position at which said signal pressure is communicated tosaid control pressure port or a second position in which said controlpressure port is communicated with ambient atmospheric pressure; (e) aforce transmitting member for transmitting force between said aneroidcapsule and said pressure differential responsive means; (f) said forcetransmitting member operative to transmit biasing forces to saidpressure differential responsive means generated by said aneroid capsulein response to sensed changes in atmospheric pressure, said biasingforces modifying a static control pressure at said control pressure portfor a given turbocharger output related signal pressure in order toproduce a feedback force on said assembly whereby said assembly isreturned to its balanced position.
 4. The controller of claim 3 whereinsaid force transmitting member acts on said sealing disc.
 5. Aturbocharger boost regulator for controlling the signal pressurecommunicated to a waste gate valve, comprising:(a) a regulator housing;(b) a movable diaphragm and associated sealing disc mounted in saidhousing, said diaphragm and sealing disc defining a pressuredifferential responsive means having a region for receiving a positivepressure signal indicative of a turbocharger output pressure and asecond region exposed to an output pressure developed in a controlpressure chamber in response to said turbocharger output pressure andsensed atmospheric pressure; (c) said sealing disc carried by saiddiaphragm and including means for controlling fluid communicationbetween said first region and said second region and between said secondregion and an atmospheric pressure port; (d) an atmospheric sensingmeans for applying a force, related to atmospheric pressure, to saidsealing disc such that changes in atmospheric pressure are manifested asa change in biasing force on said sealing disc; (e) said sealing discmoving to adjust the pressure in the control pressure chamber such thata feedback force is generated on said differential pressure responsivemeans to produce a balanced force condition on said differentialpressure responsive means whereupon said disc is returned to a balancedposition at which a static control pressure is established in thecontrol pressure chamber that is a function of atmospheric pressure andturbocharger output pressure.
 6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein saidfirst region of said diaphragm at least partially defines an inputchamber for receiving a turbocharger boost pressure and said secondregion at least partially defines a control pressure chamber in fluidcommunication with a waste gate valve.
 7. A pressure regulator accordingto claim 5, further including an electromagnet and an associatedarmature operable to apply an additional biasing force to the sealingdisc.
 8. A pressure regulator according to claim 7, wherein theelectromagnet is constructed for energization with a pulsed current.